Skip to definition.
Get the FREE one-click dictionary software for Windows or the iPhone/iPad and Android apps


Noun: feeling  fee-ling
  1. The experiencing of affective and emotional states
    "she had a feeling of euphoria"; "he had terrible feelings of guilt"; "I disliked him and the feeling was mutual"
     
  2. A vague idea in which some confidence is placed
    "what are your feelings about the crisis?"; "I had a feeling that she was lying";
    - impression, belief, notion, opinion
     
  3. The general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people
    - spirit, tone, feel, flavor [US], flavour [Brit, Cdn], look, smell
     
  4. A physical sensation that you experience
    "he had a queasy feeling"; "I had a strange feeling in my leg"; "he lost all feeling in his arm"
     
  5. The sensation produced by pressure receptors in the skin
    "the surface had a greasy feeling";
    - touch, touch sensation, tactual sensation, tactile sensation
     
  6. An intuitive understanding of something
    "he had a great feeling for music";
    - intuitive feeling
Verb: feel (felt)  feel
  1. Undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
    "She felt resentful"; "He felt regret";
    - experience
     
  2. Come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuition, or indefinite grounds
    "I feel that he doesn't like me";
    - find
     
  3. Perceive by a physical sensation, e.g., coming from the skin or muscles
    "He felt the wind"; "She felt an object brushing her arm"; "He felt his flesh crawl"; "She felt the heat when she got out of the car";
    - sense
     
  4. Be conscious of a physical, mental, or emotional state
    "My cold is gone--I feel fine today"; "She felt tired after the long hike"; "She felt sad after her loss"
     
  5. Have a feeling or perception about oneself in reaction to someone's behaviour or attitude
    "She felt small and insignificant"; "You make me feel naked"; "I made the students feel different about themselves"
     
  6. Undergo passive experience of
    "We felt the effects of inflation"; "her fingers felt their way through the string quartet"; "she felt his contempt of her"
     
  7. Be felt or perceived in a certain way
    "The ground feels shaky"; "The sheets feel soft"
     
  8. Grope or feel in search of something
    "He felt for his wallet"
     
  9. Examine by touch
    "Feel this soft cloth!";
    - finger
     
  10. (medicine) examine (a body part) by palpation
    "The runner felt her pulse";
    - palpate
     
  11. Find by testing or cautious exploration
    "He felt his way around the dark room"
     
  12. Produce a certain impression
    "It feels nice to be home again"
     
  13. Pass one's hands over the sexual organs of
    "He felt the girl in the movie theatre"

Derived forms: feelings

See also: feel for

Type of: ambiance, ambience, appear, atmosphere, be, believe, comprehend, conceive, conclude, consider, experience, find, go through, idea, intuition, look, look for, perceive, perception, reason, reason out, regain, search, see, seek, seem, somaesthesia [Brit, Cdn], somatesthesia, somatic sensation, somesthesia [N. Amer], state, think, thought, touch

Encyclopedia: Feeling

Feel